Lost in the shuffle of everything that went on over the weekend with the new scenario and the like, Wilki took the time saturday to answer 50 questions in a post at Stratics.

Some of the highlights:
- PunkBuster is close (could it be related to the Test Center coming down?)
- Factions will be the current form of PvP for the time being.
- Ninja forms/Deathstrike will be balanced
- A Halloween event is planned
- A new status bar/status bar choices will be in the Kingdom Reborn client

Full list of questions/answers:

1. When will we see HCI on shields again!
Not sure. Though, I was thinking… why do shields help you hit? Seems that they’d naturally only have DCI,no?

2. Are you aware that by having some blessed 7AE items on Siege, and some unblessed, you are creating an imbalance similar to PBD’s?
Yep.

3. What is the status of Punkbuster?
Getting close!

4. What is the status of the housing changes?
Darkscribe answered that in a previous FoF.

5. Are you going to fix ethy stamina loss?
I think stamina loss and mounts needs to be looked at in general. Currently, there isn’t much of a disadvantadge to riding a mount in combat.

6. Would you please add a canned message to the GM responses explaing that defective tiles in a house can be fixed by changing the foundation type?
It’s in the knowledgebase, which is where they send you.

7. What is the progress on addressing stacking issues?
No progress. We’re busy with other things.

8. Will my swamp dragon always leave a trail when he runs north? (it is embarrassing)
In the current client, yes.

9. What adjustments are being contemplated to adjust the over use of pets in PvP?
Seems to me that making them highlight the same color as the controller would be a good first step.

10. Are there going to be changes to smithing similar to the ones for bowcraft?
Nothing planned atm.

11. Are macing and swords and fencing weapons going to be adjusted like bows were?
Everything is subject to being adjusted. All ornate axes (including Talon Bites) will be adjusted to 18-20 base damage, as intended.

12. Are you guys doing ok? Is there anything I can do to help? Pizza? Beer?
We’re doing okay, actually. Both are well liked by the team, but we don’t take them from strangers, sorry

13. What are the plans to spice up the old dungeons?
No firm ones yet, but we’ve been crafting some ideas. Basically, we’d like to make them more interesting, which includes spawn placement. Juka in Wrong? That’s just… um… wrong.

14. Can we get better loot from traditional monsters please?
Or worse loot from newer ones. There shouldn’t be a difference. Loot inflation is a bad thing, IMHO. You should strive to keep people playing by making the game fun, not always putting bigger numbers on loot.

15. Why is it that when someones attacks and kills me, I’m in heat and my ghost can’t go thru a moongate?
In heat? I don’t think that’s intended… (Seriously, it’s annoying, and the answer as to why has been lost in time.)

16. How about a metal dye tub?
It’s a possibility, but only with colors that fit within the overall art of the game.

17. Could we have some additional house foundation types?
Not anytime soon.

18. When is ROT going to be sped up?
I didn’t say it *would* be, rather that it was something we were thinking about doing. Might be it’s not a good idea.

19. Is factions going to be the PvP system or is there going to be a new one?
For now, yes.

20. When will we see HCI on shields again?
HA! Your clever ruse has failed to trip me up!

21. Any plans to balance ninja forms or deathstrike?
YES!

22. Why aren’t chiv heals skill based?
That’s a really good question. Why aren’t they all skill based?

23. Any plans to make dismount harder?
Not specifically.

24. Do you consider wrestling disarm balanced?
Me personally? No.

25. Enchiladas, Burritos, Tacos, or Fajitas?
Enchiladas, man!

26. Could we have some more pictures of the new client please?
When we’ve got the full website up, I’m sure you’ll see lots more!

27. Are there any plans to improve GM support to include additional ongoing issues?
Not sure what you mean specifically, but I do know that the GM team has been discussing better ways to support our players.

28. How about NPC’s who rez pets?
We’ve thought about that, but the feedback from our Japanese market is that they believe it would take away yet another reason for players to interact with each other. Perhaps one that would rez them on a limited fashion? Not sure…

29. What more can you tell us about the 9th Anniversary package?
That the box looks really sweet.

30. Halloween event this year?
That’s the plan. A bunch of us have grand plans that we may or may not have time to implement.

31. Is the new UO going to be the old UO with better graphics or will there be substantial changes to the game?
It’s going to be UO. Adding a new client is seperate from adjusting or adding new game systems.

32. Is EVERYONE working on the new UO?
Nope. Draconi has been busy working on live event stuff, we’ve been fixing bugs for Pub43, and adding the goodies for the 9th Anniversary box

33. How big is your monitor?
At work, I have twin 19″ side by side, here at home, I have a 23″ widescreen LCD.

34. Is your chair kinda comfortable or could you use a new one?
We have some pretty expensive and comfy chairs at work. EA doesn’t skimp on comfort.

35. What do you think about advanced characters on Siege?
I think we’d be mobbed.

36. Did the mana leech/life leech changes go too far?
IMHO, no. Skill should trump any advantadges you get from items.

37. Can we have some new rideables please?
None planned in the foreseeable future.

38. Would you fix it so that enemy of one and consecrate weapon work with spell effects?
Interesting idea. Though, both of those probably should be scaled on Chiv skill.

39. Mage weapons, good or bad?
Myself, I generally don’t like the idea that a property can make up for not having an entire skill.

40. How about some caps on mana regen, LMC, etc….
For sure.

41. Will insurance ever be limited?
Perhaps, but nothing in the works atm.

42. Wouldn’t it be cool if people who roleplay vampires could transform into bats?
Hmm, that’s interesting…

43. How about a new status bar or some status bar choices?
In the new client, you’ll get this.

44. What is up with gate cohesion?
Stop trying to play hopscotch through moongates, silly!

45. Do you ever consider just throwing in the towel and traveling around doing Ren Fests?
Let’s just say that if I won the lottery, I doubt you’d see me at any ren fests. Beer fests, hockey games and travelling around the world, yes, but ren fests, probably not.

46. If you are in the heat of battle you can’t recall or gate, why can you teleport?
Because it’s Mage’s Online, duh!

47. Why do archers get to chug with both hands full?
Bows are light and you can easily do so?

48. Would you pay to see Death Adder and Drax fight IRL?
Depends on if the Kirk/Spock music would play during the battle.

49. How much?
$2, but only if beer was provided.

50. Why are you reading this, start typing a response!
Beat you to it!

Thanks to the three different people who emailed us this. We are wading through a lot of email right now and were caught up this past weekend doing stuff in-game.